The Kiss
by CSIHuntermom
Summary: WARNING.. SPOILERS for The Panty Sniffer episode... My version of the kiss between Catherine and Det. Vartann


The Kiss

Catherine groaned as she closed her phone. _I'm supposed to go where? _Rattled in her head as she gathered her purse, her jacket and the extra clothes from her locker at the lab.

_Why exactly do I need extra clothes? _Her mind questioned while she got in her car.

Securing her seat belt and connecting the Bluetooth headpiece to her ear, she started toward…_The Palermo? What is going on here? Is this really a crime scene? _ More questions she asked herself as she pulled out of the lab parking lot.

She drove in silence, only her thoughts to keep her company as she continued to question as to why she was being called to a hotel to sit on a drug deal. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got as she found herself closer to the strip and the hotel.

Then she tough about the fight; the fight between her and her boyfriend Tony. It wasn't really a fight, more like an argument but it upset her none the less. What was also upsetting was she hasn't seen or heard from him since.

They had gone out several times over the months, coffee after shift, a nice dinner, movies and take-out at her place, all the things that make them 'officially dating' as Lindsey put it.

He seemed so relaxed and willing to talk, but not only about himself, he also listened to her. A trait not many men now a day have according to Catherine.

Catherine knew of his reputation long before _she_ asked him out, the good looking homicide detective with the big mouth and the bigger ego. But as she spent more and more time with him, she realized none of that, or at least most of his reputation was just speculation. He was actually very attentive, supportive and listened to her go on about Lindsey and her marriage to Eddie. It's what he didn't tell her that made her the angriest with him…

Two Days Previous

"Who was that?" Catherine asked after watching Tony Vartann's face go from calm, to anger to frustration in a matter of minutes.

The conversation between Tony and whomever was on the other end of the line had gotten a bit heated. Catherine tried to step away from where the conversation was taking place, but she couldn't draw herself away as she heard his voice get louder and louder.

His face scrunched up as he listened to the other person. Catherine instead offered a beer in the midst of the call just to relax him some.

Surprisingly, he was able to take a swig while the person on the other end kept talking.

"Who was that?" She enquired again wanting to know who would make him react like that, especially over the phone.

"My ex." He got out after another swig of beer.

"Your ex, as in ex-wife?"

Catherine did not hide the look of hurt on her face as she flicked her eyes to meet his.

"Yep."

She stood in her own kitchen and watched him drain the bottle of beer and place it on the table. He took a few steps toward her hoping to ease some of the tension from the phone call.

Leaning in to her ear, "we don't need to talk about this," he whispered.

Catherine was sort of stunned at the fact that he never brought the subject up before.

His long fingers began to stroke her arm. A mischievous smile came to his face. He locked his blue/grey eyes on Catherine's stunning blue ones. She knew what he wanted, but Catherine had another idea.

Catherine drew her head up to his as to place a kiss on his lips, but instead of intertwining his lips with hers, she asked, "So, are you going to tell me about her?"

Tony's face fell at her question.

"She's my ex. What else do you need to know?"

Catherine was not satisfied.

She tilted her head to the side. He watched some of her blonde/red hairs go flying. He couldn't help but smile at her being put off by the fact that he has an ex wife.

Her tongue dotted her upper lip. A move that made Tony smile all the more. He loved her lips, and he felt she was doing that particular move with her tongue just to turn him on.

He found out he was wrong.

"So, like were you married to her? Is that what you mean by ex?" Her voice full of irritation.

"Yes." He got out watching her lips move hoping he could connect his lips with the ones that were continuing to turn him on.

"We really don't need to talk about this," he offered again with a low sexy tone.

"How long were you married?" She asked after Tony stepped away from her noticing the bewildered look on her face.

"Too long." Came immediately out of his mouth. He amended his answer by adding, "Eight years."

Catherine closed her eyes, sighed and turned her head in disgust.

"Children, I suppose now you are going to tell me you have children." The sarcasm and hurt in her voice were unmistakable.

"A daughter," he replied figuring that Catherine was intent on finishing this conversation.

"A daughter?" Flew quickly out of her mouth. Then the questions kept coming…

"Where is she? How old is she? What grade is she in? Where does she live? Is she with your ex? Why didn't you get custody of her?" And more importantly to Catherine, "HOW COME YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ANY OF THIS?" Her voice now on edge.

"God Tony, I feel like I don't know you." Catherine opened walking farther away from him. "I feel so violated."

"Don't you think that's overdoing it a bit? You know a bit overdramatic?" He answered with a question much to Catherine's chagrin. "I mean come on?" He half smiled.

Without realizing, Tony's hand curled into a ball. A sign that he was angry, frustrated, hurt or all of the above.

"Is it Tony, is it really too much? I mean, God, you know everything thing about me. Yet I know almost nothing about you." Her voice low and shaky.

"Again, don't you think that's a bit overdramatic?" His voice straining, trying not to let the anger that was building in him escape.

"Come on Catherine, it's not that big of a deal. So I have an ex wife and a daughter, but ask how much of my DNA is in her?" He flung at Catherine hoping to redirect the conversation.

"Well how am I supposed to know, it's not like you told me she even existed," she hissed. "And just so you know, it is a big deal."

"I think you should go." Her unsteady voice got out after a few moments of silence.

With aggravation and a bit of irritation swelling inside, Tony gladly obeyed Catherine's request to leave. He walked right past her. She felt almost a coldness as he grabbed his coat and headed toward the door, stopping to add, "It's not like I'm sleeping with her. Hell, I'm not even sleeping with you!"

An hour later, after Catherine had a glass or two of wine and a long bath to calm her rattled nerves, a blinking light on the phone caught her eye…….

"_She lived in Phoenix with my ex, Melissa. _

_Morgan got really sick when she was very young. That's when I knew she wasn't mine._

_The doctors thought it was cancer but it turned out to be something else; a genetic mutation causing cells to break down healthy ones._

_Funny thing, I don't have that gene, I know because I asked everyone I could think of." _

"_Catherine, Morgan died before she turned eight." _

*

Catherine felt silly having that argument with Tony over the fact that he had an ex wife. She even worse for him loosing his daughter, or the girl he raised as his daughter. She couldn't even imagine what he went through.

The thought of seeing Tony again and sharing with him how glad she was he opened up to her brought a smile to her face as she continued to drive to the Hotel.

Catherine was brought back to reality as her Bluetooth vibrated lighting up her dashboard a blue color.

"This is Catherine,"

"Catherine, I'm glad I caught you." She heard on the other end.

"Jim, Jim is that you?"

"Catherine, I just got word, about the case you're working, the dead bodies in the desert."

"Yea," She cut him off.

"It turns out, they are linked to two gang members making E, you know, Ecstasy."

"Jim, I don't understand, what does this have to do with me? Wouldn't the drug or the gang unit be better suited for this job?" She asked feeling very confused.

"Well," he started, "the two homicides link the case to LVPD, and since you are the lead investigator on the case…."

"Yea," Catherine cut the Police Captain off again.

"And we got word from our mole that they are camped out in a room at the Palermo. Look Cath, I have to go. The hotel knows you two are coming and what you are doing there. Everything you will need should be waiting for you at the Hotel. Let us know if you guys need anything else from us."

With that, Jim Brass was gone from the other end of the line.

Catherine felt more baffled than _before_ the call.

"Wait, TWO as in more than one person? What's going on here?" The now very confused CSI asked out loud.

Before she could contemplate a scenario, she was pulling into the garage at the Hotel. She'd have her answer soon.

After taking in the lobby of the opulent hotel, she made her way to the desk.

"I'm Catherine Willows," She said flashing the guy behind the counter, who looked like he'd rather be somewhere else, her Crime Lab ID.

"Willows… Willows…. I don't see a reservation under that name," responded the clerk with the same attitude, like he'd rather be somewhere else.

Catherine sighed. "Figures," She grumbled to herself.

Her fingers began tapping the counter impatiently, "Could you look again?" She smiled a very knowing smile.

"Wait," the clerk suddenly came to life, "I have something. Oooo it involves the LVPD."

"I supposed _you_ know what's going on here?" Catherine couldn't help but ask as the sarcasm rolled off her tongue.

"Well," started the now very much animated desk clerk, "a guy, a big good looking guy, with the LVPD, went to that room not to long ago." The clerk stopped and winked at Catherine.

"And?" She asked getting rather bothered at the whole conversation.

"Well I didn't think anything of it …… Until you showed up." He returned a very shrewd smile to Catherine.

Catherine took a step back from the counter; leaving one hand tapping on the counter as her other hand tapped her leg. Confusion wasn't in the half of what she was feeling. It was a job; her job to investigate whatever crime was happening or did happen. What didn't make sense was who else could possibly be investigating this case with her?

After a few taps of the keyboard the desk clerk handed Catherine an envelope with the room number and a special telephone number. "If you need anything," he instructed, "you are to use that number not the house number."

She stepped back toward the counter; half smiled and offered a "Thank you."

The elevator was empty as she closed her eyes during the short ride to the 12th floor. Her eyes opened at the ding of the elevator announcing she had arrived.

Her eyes squinted at the décor of the hallway. "Why do these hotels all look the same on the inside, tacky?" She asked to herself taking very tentative steps.

With each step she began to feel weary, what would be waiting for her on the other side of the hotel room door? Two guys are making drugs somewhere in the hotel, somewhere on the floor even. A chill ran down her as she took the final step landing in front of room 1218.

Panic wasn't what she would describe the feeling, but she felt something other than her normal confident self when she usually arrived at a crime scene. But this was no ordinary crime scene either, it was a drug stakeout. Another feeling of uneasiness came over her but she had to swallow all of those feelings down and do her job, what she didn't expect was what or who was waiting for her on the side of the hotel room door.

Catherine mindlessly slipped the cardkey into the door hearing the click sound unlocking the door. As she pushed the door open feeling more tension creeping up in her, the door seemed to open by itself, as if someone was opening from the inside.

Her mouth fell open at the sight of who it was on the other side of the door.

"Tony," She gasped dropping her field kit from one hand and her overnight bag from her other shoulder.

"Hi," He smiled causing her heart to melt into a puddle.

Her eyes quickly scanned him, taking him in like he was a vision, not really there. The grey of his shirt was bringing out the grey of his eyes.

"I … I … had no idea," her jumbled mind put together.

"I didn't either," Running his fingers along the edge of Catherine's leather jacket.

She felt her heart skip a beat as he tipped up her chin so she could look him right in the eyes.

"I also wanted to say, "He started, "I'm… I'm sor…."

"Kiss me," Catherine breathed to Tony before he could say another word.

"What?" The Detective's eye grew big as he heard the rumple of her light brown leather jacket as she hooked her right arm around his neck.

She pulled him close, closer. "You heard me, kiss me now," She smiled into his lips.

Without hesitation, his left hand wrapped around her bringing her closer to him as her lips finally connected with his.

****


End file.
